Man’s sleeved tunic, cotton and alpaca wool
Supe Valley, Chimu Capac; Provincial Wari style; late Middle Horizon
4–7827
For thousands of years, textiles have been among the most prized possessions of Andean peoples. Fine cloth was incorporated into an active trade between court and hinterland, noble and commoner. This garment, a two-piece tunic for a Wari imperial official, represented an enormous investment of materials, time, labor, and artistry—using an estimated six to nine miles of thread. It is composed of several separate bands of differing techniques and up to twelve colors, sewn together. The band across the breast depicts abstract winged Wari Feline-headed Angels, each bearing a Wari staff. Most of the garment is covered with simpler representations of the Wari Feline Star Animal. On the narrow band borders are mythical animals, combining the Wari Feline Star Animal and the north coast Moon Animal.
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